Chapter 2568:
"Why wouldn’t they manage it?" the man said. "When you take on more business, you’re bound to be checked more frequently."
Everyone found it curious. "True, the players are underhanded, and the district government is powerless to deal with it."
"It’s not exactly powerless. If the district government couldn’t handle it, how could District 001 have developed?" The man took a sip of hot soup and continued, "As I mentioned earlier, this is the tradition of District 001. The words ’chivalry and righteousness’ are etched into their bones. They manage the matters under the law and even those beyond it."
"Otherwise, why do you think these companies conduct pre-investigations? They only act against those whom law and morality cannot tolerate."
"But infidelity within marriage? No need to kill someone for that." Someone couldn’t help but say, "If that’s the standard, how many people need to die in District 001?"
"That’s the rule." The man replied, "Affection breeds desire; desire breeds greed; greed breeds change. What you see as mere affair might be someone plotting to secretly eliminate the obstacles and fly away together."
"Rules, the baseline outside the law. Once that’s broken, humanity knows no bounds."
"No wonder," someone laughed, "I couldn’t find a place for entertainment after coming here. I thought all the men in this district were monks. Turns out they’re just afraid of being killed."
This remark made the locals inside and outside the shop turn their heads, their gaze coldly landing on the speaker.
Not just regular citizens, but even players active nearby did the same.
The laughing man couldn’t laugh anymore. The shop owner called over a public service robot to let him pay and leave.
The man felt embarrassed, quickly pulled out the money, but couldn’t help saying, "Could it be that the people of District 001 are all saints? No one commits crimes?"
"There are definitely crimes. Isn’t there a line of companies eager to take orders?" someone unfamiliar replied.
The breakfast shop burst into laughter, and the man departed awkwardly.
During breakfast, Xu Huo learned about those "assassination companies." The so-called chivalry and enforcing justice weren’t solely about killing. Most were based on the severity of situations. For instance, if inexplicably beaten by someone, you could place an order to have someone investigate and retaliate, or if bullied by certain people or organizations, you could place an order for vengeance.
In short, compared to the procedural law and law enforcement teams, ordinary citizens trusted more in "everyone being an enforcer." And when everyone could enforce the law, rules and the baseline became something everyone tacitly abided by.
Apart from resolving minor disputes among local residents, they also intervened in player fights. For example, if someone from the district was killed by an outside player, an assassination company would take the order to find a way to bring back the killer’s body within a certain time limit. There was an unbelievable rumor on the Collection of Information Terminal: two Outer Zone players once accidentally killed sixteen ordinary people during a fight in District 001; the killers simply walked away, and the district government couldn’t trace them, so the victims’ families pooled money to hire an assassination company.
Such assassination orders were highly challenging, finding people was difficult enough, and even if found, it’s hard to say. Yet, this company somehow completed the task by spending half a year and sacrificing over a dozen advanced players, bringing back the bodies of those two Outer Zone players.
This event led directly to the disbandment of that small assassination company, but they earned a solid reputation. The company’s former site is now seemingly a somewhat famous tourist spot.
(Modify later)
*
He slept comfortably and woke naturally before dawn, full of energy as he got up, looking at the empty street while washing up.
At this hour, most people in the district weren’t up, only a few early workers roamed the streets. The bathroom’s floor-to-ceiling window faced a commercial area; at precisely seven in the morning, someone wearing a "Quick Delivery" outfit landed on a low-flying device across the street. He stopped in front of a beauty shop, pressed the doorbell, and after a brief chat with the shop’s occupant, the automatic door opened.
"Quick Delivery" picked up a bag and went inside. Moments later, two muffled sounds of falling were heard, "Quick Delivery" came out from the automatic door, raising his head to meet Xu Huo’s gaze.
The Eternal Star Hotel wasn’t low, but unfortunately, players had sharp eyesight. Xu Huo took his toothbrush out of his mouth, and "Quick Delivery" pulled his mask up and waved to greet him.
In this district, at least in this city, there were hardly any poor people. The self-disciplined residents had long closed their shops. In such an environment, few would use their shop as home, so before opening, there weren’t many people inside the storefronts along the commercial street. The killed couple was an exception.
After the sun fully rose, the shop’s robot reported the incident, and the Law Enforcement Team and hospital personnel arrived, concluding the cause of death in a glance: instant execution, throat cut.
As for why they were killed, the murderer left a clue—a bed photo labeled "Adulterer and whore."
The nearby merchants watched out of curiosity. After discovering the "Adulterer and whore" photo, they all showed expressions of anticipated realization.
Apparently, everyone around here knew the situation of the killed couple; not only were they not panicked, but they believed this day would come sooner or later.
When Xu Huo took the Girl in the painting out for special breakfast, they heard Outer Zone players discussing the matter.
"Hiring assassins is an old tradition in District 001." A well-informed player pointed to occasional projection ads appearing in nooks outside, "Those shops are run by players. You pay to have people killed. If you want someone dead, you prearrange with the assassination company, and after submitting the information, if the company thinks it’s feasible, they’ll accept the order."
"For instance, this morning’s murder case: it seems like the man’s wife hired an assassin, but without evidence, legally his wife won’t be in trouble and can properly inherit all the assets."
"As for that man, standing on shaky moral grounds, the law can’t punish him, but private justice can."
"Isn’t this just killing whoever you want?" Someone responded after listening. "Wouldn’t District 001 descend into chaos?"
"You don’t know the history of District 001," the player from before said, "It’s said that the ancestors thrived showing chivalry and robbing the rich to aid the poor. Almost all countries in the district have assassination organizations, always killing each other. Luckily, in those days, people weren’t players; otherwise, who knows how many would’ve died!"
This sentiment sent the crowd into laughter. The Girl in the painting turned around long ago, eagerly holding up the communicator to ask, "Are assassination organizations still around?"
"Of course they are. Aren’t those companies?" the man said, "On the surface, they run small businesses, have business licenses, legally pay taxes, protected by the government, but secretly, well, you know."
"Doesn’t the government manage?" Someone asked the burning question on everyone’s mind.